What I gathered from this particular post was less that it was about collecting statistics and more about morale in the united states and how people feel about the place they live in.

It’s really really sad that people feel like it’s NORMAL for these mass shootings to be a thing. And apparently quite a few of them feel like it’s normal. That, to me, felt like what this was supposed to be stating.

I’d sure love to see some serious discussion initiated from some leaders (e.g. the president) about real solutions. I’m no gun-nut but it really worries me that the only “card” that seems to be presented for play is gun control. Really, REALLY there are people with problems - society is producing some very sick people (societies probably always do and will, but we have a new phenomenon here), probably due to a variety of stresses. Shouldn’t we be worried about that?

Of course it’s not normal. It’s just too frequent. I sigh, and say “WTF, again?” and hope not too many dead/injured/scarred emotionally this time. Complain to the internets and vote accordingly. Sometimes send email to representatives. None of which does shit. Murica, phooey.

So it doesn’t bother you that “these people” want to go kill lots of more-or-less random strangers? We should just keep guns away from them and they’ll be OK and cause no type of harm to society? (note that I’m not saying there shouldn’t be further gun control, and I’m not using the argument that they’ll just get guns anyway).

In my future dystopia story setting, one part of the “show, don’t tell” (which, yes, I recognize that I’m violating) in describing the setting, the normalization of mass shootings is to the point that there’s a dedicated stat block in the newspapers for reporting the previous day’s casualties and fatalities.

Had to look up what that meant, but, yeah, sure. Just basically making it part of the worldbuilding–that the Confederated Republic Of America is a backwards hellhole, and reinforcing that in myriad little details, like the border fence with the Pacifica Commonwealth being designed to keep people in, not out, despite their claims, or an off-hand comment about the daily dust level and associated contaminants from the Kansas Desert.

I believe it’s a normal part of life, in the sense that it happens on a daily or weekly basis and isn’t likely to change any time soon. That’s certainly not the same thing as saying it’s acceptable, but to claim that it’s out of the ordinary at this point would be living in denial. It’s happening, and will keep happening because enough people not only do feel it’s acceptable, but will fight kicking and screaming to their last breath to make sure nothing is done about it.

And approximately 4% of murders are committed by people with a severe mental illness.

The “stop mass shootings by fixing mental health” thing is just a distraction.

Pretty much every other country in the world has a “real solution” to reduce gun violence, and that “real solution” is gun control. It’s proven to be effective, regardless of any rhetoric otherwise.

I agree with you about gun control, but if most mass-murderers are not “mentally ill,” then clearly there’s an underlying problem here. Emile Durkheim was able to show how the rise in suicide rates correlated to the development of capitalism. It’s hard not to look at this phenomenon and feel like there’s something equally fundamental going on.